Pilot project in Toronto seeks to make 211 as ubiquitous as 911 dialing

The City of Toronto is spearheading a drive to have a national abbreviated dialing code that would link users to social services in the same way that 911 provides emergency assistance. The United Way of Greater Toronto and Community Information Toronto will soon file an application with the CRTC asking that 211 be adopted as the number for social services. "For people to get care that's not emergency care or get information that's non-emergency, there are myriad numbers to call and lots of different people to speak to and it's hard to access information," Judith John, VP of marketing and communication for the United Way, told Network Letter. "So with 211 it's going to be a simple number, very visible, easy to recall and it will connect people to the services they need. It will actually reduce the kinds of calls that come to 911 and thereby improve the effectiveness of that number." If approved, the system will be the first of its kind in Canada. The 211 code was initially introduced in Atlanta. It has since spread to the state of Connecticut and to other jurisdictions in the United States. John reports that officials in Atlanta and Connecticut have helped in the preparation of the Toronto bid. The 211 number can streamline access to information, according to the executive director of Community Information Toronto. "Say for example you lost your wallet and you need to get your birth certificate, your social insurance number, you've lost everything," Alison Hewitt explained to Network Letter. "If you don't know where to start, you could start with us because we deal with all levels of government and the community. We call it from birth to death because it's child care services as well as services for seniors, long term care facilities and that kind of thing." Community Information Toronto currently operates a call centre for 14 hours each day, operating in 16 languages. Hewitt anticipates moving to round-the-clock service should 211 be adopted. Judging from the experience in Atlanta, she expects increasing the telephone staff by 50 per cent in the first year of operation. By the second year, the number of workers should double from its current size. The United Way's John says Atlanta officials were taken aback at how heavily used the number is. "They've certainly been able to adjust to it but that was something that I think took them a bit by surprise." The plans call for Toronto to sign on to 211 shortly after it gets the go-ahead from the CRTC. Other communities across the nation could then adapt the system for themselves, in the same way that 911 rolled out across the country. John notes that other cities are only looking at the issue theoretically now but are enthusiastic in their support for the project. "It's been very well received nationally. We look at it as a national project and we've found endorsements from everyone we've spoken to," she says. "Community information and referral services are common across communities, so it's something that people understand. We've had consultations with telecommunications carriers, agencies, United Way-Centraides, and experts across the country." Voicemail for homeless persons A related project has started in Ottawa where the homeless now have access to voicemail. The Ottawa 2000 organization has initiated the Contact Ottawa program, whereby people can pay $5 per month for a voicemail box. The first 75 boxes are already up and running, with a further 225 anticipated to be in operation by the end of the year. It is expected Contact Ottawa will benefit those who can't afford a telephone or cannot get one because of poor credit ratings and those who live in shelters and do not have access to a phone. The greatest challenge facing the United Way of Greater Toronto is how to pay for the 211 service. "We won't be looking for government funding," John explains. "We'll be looking for private support. So it would be either single donor or business, a corporation or corporations."

Pilot project in Toronto seeks to make 211 as ubiquitous as 911 dialing

News | 06/19/2000 4:00 am EDT

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